It’s time for the UEFA Euro 2016! The best soccer teams from the entire continent will be heading to Paris for the ultimate prize in European international soccer. Group F should have its own spotlight considering they get Cristiano Ronaldo guiding his Portugal squad. Can Portugal win the group like they’re expected to?
Austria offer a pretty stern challenge for the Group F favorites, while the defensively-sound Iceland also cannot be counted out. Read on as we take a look at the teams in this group. For more Euro 2016 action, check out what’s in store with our complete previews for Groups A and B.
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Portugal will be tough to beat and it’s because of one man—Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s arguably the best soccer player in the entire world with his ability to score buckets-load of goals. He was sensational with Spanish club Real Madrid, scoring 50 goals for the sixth-consecutive season. The 31-year-old striker also scored five of Portugal’s 11 goals in qualifying to make him the country’s all-time leading scorer with 56.
Austria were the surprise of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, finishing with 28 points just right behind England. They were just one of three teams to go undefeated. The Wunderteam have been splendid with their defense under manager Marcel Koller, allowing just five goals in five games. The Austrians will have one of the most versatile players in Europe with David Alaba popping up all over the field.
What makes Austria such an appealing pick is their well-balanced starting XI. They won’t need to pin all their hopes on a specific player much like Portugal do with Cristiano Ronaldo.
It’s pretty difficult to win games without a scoring punch. But if you’re as selfish as Iceland is in conceding goals, then you could just get away with a very solid defense. Iceland conceded just six goals during qualifying, which helped them reach the final tournament with no world-class attacking talent. Midfield is this team’s strongest position with Gylfi Sigurdsson leading the way.
Sigurdsson has scored 12 goals in 37 caps for Iceland. He’ll have some help from forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, who has 19 goals in 37 caps.
How should we start to describe this Hungary team? First off, they’re not that talented except for captain and star winger Balazs Dzudzsak who has 18 goals in 77 caps. He’s the only player in the starting XI that has scored more than eight goals.
The Hungarians may be in the tournament to give the other Group F teams a bottom feeder to beat on with an aging 40-year-old goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly who has 102 career caps. Kiraly won’t have a solid back four to help him either with the potential starters combining for just 66 caps. Bettors can still make money on Hungary, though. They’re -190 to make an expected exit in the group stage.
Writer’s Prediction
Austria have all the value at +200 to win Group F with their well-balanced team.
